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Shloka 13

Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif

Kali-yuga to Kalki

अथ कालेन महता स मत्स्य: सुमहानभूत्‌ | अलिज्जरे यथा चैव नासौ समभवत्‌ किल,राजन! वहाँ उन्होंने बड़े आदरके साथ उसका पालन-पोषण किया और वह दिन-दिन बढ़ने लगा। मनुने उसके प्रति पुत्रके समान विशेष वात्सल्य भाव प्रकट किया। तदनन्तर दीर्घकाल बीतनेपर वह मत्स्य इतना बड़ा हो गया कि मटकेमें उसका रहना असम्भव हो गया

atha kālena mahatā sa matsyaḥ sumahān abhūt | alijjare yathā caiva nāsau samabhavat kila, rājan |

ครั้นกาลล่วงนาน ปลานั้นก็เติบใหญ่ยิ่งนัก ดุจสิ่งใหญ่ย่อมอยู่ในหม้อเล็กมิได้ ฉันใด ข้าแต่พระราชา มันก็ไม่อาจอยู่ในหม้อนั้นได้อีกฉันนั้น

अथthen/now
अथ:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ
कालेनby/with time
कालेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootकाल
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
महताgreat/long
महता:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootमहत्
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
सःhe/that (one)
सः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
मत्स्यःfish
मत्स्यः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमत्स्य
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सुमहान्very great/huge
सुमहान्:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसुमहत्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अभूत्became
अभूत्:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormAorist (simple past), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
अलिञ्जरेin a jar/pot
अलिञ्जरे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootअलिञ्जर
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
यथाas/just as
यथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
एवindeed/just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
असौthat (yonder one)
असौ:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootअसद्/अदस् (pronoun)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
समभवत्was possible/fit; happened
समभवत्:
TypeVerb
Rootसम् + भू
FormImperfect (past), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
किलindeed/it is said
किल:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकिल
राजन्O king
राजन्:
TypeNoun
Rootराजन्
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

मार्कण्डेय (Mārkaṇḍeya)
राजन् (the king being addressed—Yudhiṣṭhira in context)
मत्स्य (the fish)
अलिजर/अलिज्जर (a small jar/pot)

Educational Q&A

Compassionate care creates obligations that may expand over time; dharma requires adapting one’s arrangements to protect what one has undertaken to safeguard, rather than abandoning it when it becomes inconvenient.

Over a long period the fish that had been kept in a small vessel grows so large that it can no longer be contained there, prompting the need to move it to a more suitable place.